Rangers Attempt to Re-Enter Wild Card Race

After the month of misery the New York Rangers went through, many counted the team out of the postseason discussion. They dropped to the basement of the Eastern Conference standings and no one was playing up to their standards. The team shipped captain Jacob Trouba out of town, swinging a deal with the Anaheim Ducks and dealing winger Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken.

The past couple weeks for the Rangers have instilled a new sense of hope in the team, however. They acquired superstar forward J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks, giving them a new top center. Their goalie tandem elevated their play, with Igor Shesterkin beginning to live up to thelucrative contract he recently signed. It's all brought them to this matchup against the Boston Bruins. With a win, the Rangers officially re-enter the Wild Card race.

The Rangers have the chance to move within four points of the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Standing in their way, both in the standings and as their next opponent, are the Bruins. They are tied in points with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the final Wild Card spot, with both teams having 60.

While the star players like Shesterkin and Miller are leading the way for the Rangers' resurgence, it's been a team-wide improvement. It's most noticeable with the team's defense. While the initial thought was that their blue line would suffer without Trouba, they've improved significantly.

That's mostly thanks to two new defensemen. Will Borgen, who was acquired in return for Kakko, has been a perfect fit. Shesterkin loves him, and the organization rewarded him with a new contract. Similarly, Urho Vakaanainen has been a strong bottom-pairing defender for New York since arriving from Anaheim.

And now the Rangers are climbing. Through 52 games, they've managed to improve their record to 25-23-4 thanks to a 5-3-2 run over their last 10. They look like a completely different group and now they appear close to a playoff team.